Archive for September, 2007
The floods
September 28th, 2007. Published under Life in Uganda. No Comments.
September 23, 2007
This past weekend I went to the Lira and Pader districts, just neighboring Gulu. I woke up early Saturday morning for no particular reason and Peter and Laker were outside just about to leave. They asked if I wanted to go with them, they were to see a friend so I put on some clothes and off we went. A two-hour bus ride later, in which we had to stand the entire time, and we were in Lira. Uganda is going through some crazy flooding right now, and these two districts have been affected. The friend that we went to see is a commander in the military, so we were treated to “first-class” the entire time. Once we got to Lira a couple of military guys picked us up in a nice truck and after about an hours drive into the bush we reached what used to be a bridge over a swamp, the line of the Pader and Lira districts. The swamp had turned into a flooded river with a very strong current. The bridge was now about 75 feet out into the water, mostly underwater. There are bridges like this all over Uganda (actually worse, some bridges have been swept away completely), and entire districts have become completely cut off from the rest of the country. The military has been using helicopters to airlift students and teachers out of these affected areas. Uganda was just recently on holiday, meaning all students and teachers went home for a few weeks, but the floods have prevented many from returning to school. There were several wooden boats and canoes transporting people back and forth on our “river.” Unfortunately, the owners of the boats were charging people an arm and a leg to cross, which was so sad because these people are broke! To help the students, the military had brought a boat in which they transported students and teachers for free.
Once we got to the water the military boat came and picked us up and carried us across, a good 150-200 yards. The commander was waiting for us and we walked a ways away from the water and sat down behind a canopy and talked for a while. He was a really cool guy, called Lucky. He is older, but became friends with Laker and then Peter when he was taking satellite classes and they were at the university. They have helped him do research for various things. Since he is in the bush away from a university or library of any kind they help him out. He was really funny though and seemed like a good guy. We sat around talking for quite a while then went back by the river and sat around some more just talking. There were tons of people around either waiting to get across or just lingering around. We think everyone thought we were diplomats or journalists because of how we were treated, escorted by the military with a private meeting with just the commander. Most people don’t really like/accept you just taking their picture but since they thought we were important no one seemed to mind because Laker and I took a ton of pictures. So it was good, but really sad because the flooding has displaced hundreds of thousands people. As if Uganda didn’t already have a problem with people being displaced and going hungry! The rains are not supposed to stop until the end of November, so the floods will probably get worse. And while they subside, famine is expected in the areas because everybody’s farmland has washed away. The World Food Program just announced they have asked for $43 million dollars to prepare for the needs of the people in Uganda alone, and there are several other countries affected by these floods!
Anyways, we left after a while with Lucky inviting us back in a few weekends to stay at his father’s house in Pader. Laker is leaving for the U.S. on Thursday for a few months so Peter and I are planning on going back. Laker was invited by the University of Minnesota to speak on the effects of war on children. He has worked with children here in Gulu for the last 3 or 4 years, starting the Youth Corps homes and counseling tons of kids. He asked me to organize his notes in a good speaking format so I was able to look through everything he is going to talk about. It is just crazy what has happened here over the last two decades and what these kids have gone through. One of his main points is that the children of Gulu grew up without a childhood. They missed the basic opportunity to play, have fun and just be kids. They lived in a constant state of fear, saw the worst atrocities of mankind, and were forced to act like adults when they were very young. It’s terrible, but thank God there are organizations like Youth Corp and others that are helping rehabilitate these children. This will also be Laker’s first trip to the U.S. He is really excited; he has some friends that have paid for him to visit them in various parts of the country too, like Boston, San Francisco and San Diego. So beginning Thursday I am going to be without an everyday interpreter/guy to tell me what to do here in Gulu. Peter teaches and runs the school so he can only be around for important meetings and such, so this should be interesting!
Life in Gulu
September 28th, 2007. Published under Life in Uganda. No Comments.
September 20, 2007
Gulu: So it’s a lot different than Kampala…to say the least. It’s like comparing Happy Camp, California to the likes of Sacramento. Yes, there is a city named Happy Camp, and its small. Gulu is interesting, but I’m embracing it as home. The language is different from Kampala, although almost everyone can speak English; they just rarely do to each other. The food has been ok. The first few days when Ilea was here we ate at mzungu restaurants that serve C+ food or so and it is not quite what we would have in the US. There also isn’t solid refrigeration here (because the power randomly goes out for hours/days at a time. It just went out actually… and went out last night and didn’t come back until this afternoon) so things like cheese and milk are just not around much. But there is a little bakery called Maq’s (pronounced mack’s) that serves muffins/doughnuts and other random things and is somewhat decent. I’ve had breakfast there everyday so far. The only bad thing about the place is that after they bake something, it stays on the shelf until it is sold. So since Monday I have seen the same meat pies and “American” doughnuts there. Needless to say I eat whatever I see that wasn’t there the day before. Also, at the home I’m living at, they eat posho and beans (posho is what they call pop in South Africa, its a starch that looks like mashed potatoes but it clumps together more and is stickier. Most people eat it without utensils) 3 times a day pretty much, so yesterday that was my lunch and dinner. The girls at the home make all the meals and just bring it to me so I can’t really refuse.
My living situation: I am living at the girls’ youth corps home (started by Cornerstone, homes for abducted, abandoned, or orphaned kids). There are boys quarters in the back, a separate building with 3-4 rooms where my room is. The boys home is just across the street but doesn’t have power so most everyone hangs around here. When I first got here and looked around at “home” I felt a little overwhelmed. My room is simple, a bed, a foam mattress on the floor, a fan and a mat on the concrete floor. I felt very alone as I surveyed the place (besides Ilea and John our driver, there was only one young girl around), but I said a quick prayer, knowing God is with me. When we came back later to put up my mosquito net there were quite a few guys around so I got to meet everyone, and its been so good since then.
The people: There are two guys that live next to me, Joseph and William who are 25 and 22 and both in college. Joseph is studying business and wants to be a politician I think. He is a very happy guy, always smiling and thinking something positive. His style of talking would crack anyone up. He gets really worked up and always asks a question with what and answers it in the same sentence. For example, he’ll say, “Ohhh but these guys want what what, (followed by a short pause) money.” And the answer to his question is drawn out, like mooonnneeeyyy. Its hilarious, he does it talking about anything and in practically every sentence. William is a refugee from Rwanda. He fled with his mother and siblings during the genocide in the 90’s. His father was killed during the genocide because they are Tootsie, or however you spell the tribe. His story is incredible. His family was trying to cross the border of Rwanda into Uganda when they were stopped by the Hutu’s. He said they basically told his father the family could go but they would take his life as a ransom for his family. So they killed his father and let them go. He is really strong and can talk freely about it, but how sad! He’s a really cool, down to earth guy. At the boys home are at least 4 other guys around 25-27… Peter, Laker (pronounced lah-kay) Titus and Francis. Peter is the Restore Academy’s head teacher and Laker has just been hired by Restore so he and I will work together on most everything. Peter is a really cool guy, a little soft-spoken but wise beyond his years. Titus is a teacher at Restore and Francis helps out at the youth corps homes during the week and goes to school on the weekends. All six of these guys graduated from the Cornerstone Leadership Academy (Cornerstone founded all the youth corps homes, there are quite a few throughout Uganda). The school is basically a school to train leaders. It is for junior and seniors only and they only select 25 boys in each class. They also have a separate CLA for girls. The school teaches what the government requires but its main focus is creating leaders who are grounded in the principles of Jesus. I have never been there but I know it is a great school because these guys here are absolutely amazing. I don’t know anyone besides Laker and Peter who, in their mid 20’s, would or could start a home for former abducted, orphaned, or abandoned children. Its crazy. Laker is 27 and is in charge of the youth corps homes in Gulu, so he is basically a father to like 30 kids. And these aren’t normal kids when they come here, these are kids who grew up with war all around or were even members of the war and are psychologically torn apart. He was sharing with me today that only through love will these kids grow to become normal again, and he is right, the basic human desire to be loved. I’ve only met a handful of the kids because I’ve been so busy, so I look forward to getting to know more of them.
Lastly, the war situation: I’ve learned quite a bit about the war in a few short days. It has been a lot more brutal than I ever realized. There is a section of town that is just an open but gated courtyard with nothing in it really but some building at the back. Laker told me as we walked by that it was used for executions by firing squad. The government army would take people they thought to be supporting the LRA (according to Laker they mostly took rich business men at random practically), line them up, kill them and leave them for all to see to serve as an example/threat to not support the LRA. The situation is very racial too, because the tribes of the north are different from the tribes in the south, where the capital is. So for the last twenty years the government has let the war go on because it was Acholi rebels hurting the Acholi people. Not until the world got involved a few years ago has the government done anything substantial. It’s just crazy what these people have experienced in their lifetime. Laker and Peter grew up here and saw it all. But the peace talks are still going on, so nothing has happened recently. The UN just last week decided to use force to weed out the LRA from hiding in the Congo, because Congo wanted them gone. So we’ll see what develops.
Moving to Gulu!!
September 16th, 2007. Published under Life in Uganda. 1 Comment.
So I am moving to Gulu tomorrow… should be an adventure! I’ve been told the road to Gulu is absolutely horrible. We’re taking the long way around, which is a lot farther in miles but takes the same time because the roads are a better with not as many potholes. It’ll still take about 6-7 hours I guess. I’ll be staying in a Youth Corp home up there, a home started by Cornerstone (our friends) for street kids. I’ll be staying at the girls house for the time being, they have a men’s quarters in the back.
This weekend was pretty cool. Slept in Saturday and did some laundry. We had meeting at 12 at the Kabira Club, which is a really nice resort pretty close to here. It was with the guy from Gulu who we needed cooperation from to get the Land Board trained. He was, of course, an hour and half late. Our friend Richard helped us out by coming and just observing. It was really helpful because with him there it wasn’t just two Americans asking this guy for help. We were planning on working out and swimming afterwards but it had taken so long we just went back to Ilea’s and crashed. That night we went to dinner with Karis to one of her friend’s house. The couple are Jewish and it was sort of a Roshashana party, or however you spell it. It was interesting.. everyone there was a little older, 30’s or so and most of them were married couples working for various organizations.
Today we went with a big group to church at Calvary Chapel Kampala then to breakfast afterwards. Later this afternoon I went with Eric and Julia to play soccer with the girls at the Youth Corp home that Julia usually plays with. We were a little late so we met them at this church that has a bunch of fields to play on. It wasn’t raining this week so we got to play… a humbling experience for us. There were like 3 or 4 “fields” with just a ton of kids, mostly boys or young men playing soccer. The fields are sloped heavily, have holes and the goals are just made up. About 30 minutes in I noticed guys playing basketball on the other side of the field. I caught myself standing still, watching them as the ball went by me a few times so I had to leave the soccer game and go play some ball. It was fun, the court was dirt and sloped with holes. Definitely not ideal but it was cool. We played 3 on 3 and there were 2 other bigger guys there so it was somewhat competitive. One of the guys looked like Hakeem. He was a little taller than me, strong, and had loooong arms. He had a big goofy smile too, but he wasn’t too bad at basketball. It felt like a scene from The Air Up There or some other movie, but it was a good time.
So here I am, packing again and taking off tomorrow. I can’t wait to get to Gulu and at the same time I’m a little sad to leave. Kampala has been really nice, its almost been like a vacation because all we’ve done work wise is a little paperwork, meetings and discussion about what is going on and what we want to happen. I’ve made some great friends in a week too, but I’ll have to resort to seeing them every once in a while. But I know God has amazing things in store for me up in Gulu and the work we are doing there is for Him.
Also, I’ve only taken a few pictures and something is up with my camera because many of them come out blurry. Here is one from after our soccer. This is Eric and a girl who’s family lives with his, I can’t remember her name but her brother Tim was awesome! The fields in the background were filled with like 80-90 people playing pick up soccer but everyone bailed due to the rain that was about to begin. The other one is from last Sunday, with Julia playing the drums with some of the Youth Corp girls at their home.
Week #1
September 14th, 2007. Published under Life in Uganda. 1 Comment.
Well I’ve officially been here a week now. The week flew by and yet it feels like I’ve been here so much longer than a week. The friendships I’ve made do not feel a week old. Everyone here is here for a purpose and most of the people are working for Jesus, so we all have a huge common bond. Conversations skip right over the usual “Hey how’s it going” or “Did you watch so and so last night?” and right into what is happening in all of our lives. Its so different than what I’m used to but its so cool, we consistently have been edifying and lifting each other up. Because trust me, there can be a lot here that can weigh someone down.
So this week has been amazing. On the work side things looked horrible to begin the week but we have just trusted God and it is hopefully all going to work out. Here’s the background: Ilea has been trying to secure title to the land we are buying for the school in Gulu since January. Unfortunately it has been road block after road block. Here are just a few things: The land was in the Gulu district, and the Gulu land board sat on the paperwork for months. Then all of a sudden a new district was formed and our land falls in that district. So the Gulu board says they cannot do anything for us because they no longer have jurisdiction on the property. So this new district, the Amuri district, had to appoint a land board committee. Once they did that, Ilea asked that they grant us the title. She was told that the committee has not been trained yet, so they cannot grant a title. On top of this, our surveyor will not cooperate. He is an old man and old Acholi (the tribe from the north) men are very stubborn and don’t like people to tell them what to do, especially someone younger than them. So Ilea has been trying for months to get him to do the survey and then turn in the paperwork. Well he just finally did the survey two weeks ago but who knows when he will turn in the paperwork. Its just one thing after the other. On top of this, Ilea was given a deadline from the U.S. offices to get the title or come home. So its been very stressful for her. But being the optimist that I am, I’ve been trying my best to comfort her and realize its God’s work, not ours. If we have faith and do what we are called, everything will work out for His glory.
So this week we met with some powerful, godly men who are just on board to help us. Through one of these men’s advice and contacts, we will be facilitating the land board’s training next Thursday and hopefully have them look at our land first. A man who we just need a signature from to push other things into action, who Ilea and others have tried to contact for weeks, called today and set up a meeting for tomorrow. So tomorrow that bit should be completed. Things have seemingly fallen into place quite rapidly this week, but hopefully it all goes as planned next week. It would be absolutely huge.
Apart from the meetings… I was able to go on a run the other day and take this lady Esther’s dog on a walk. Later that night I had dinner at her house with Ilea, Julia and Karis. It was really fun and really good food. The dog was the only other male around so I got made fun of for spending my time with him. But it was fun. Shea Parton stopped by Ilea’s Wednesday night with some Invisible Children (IC) guys. Ilea is an incredible cook so she made dinner and we just hung out before Shea took off for home. His friend Adam from IC is Ilea’s really good friend and he’s been staying here too. Thursday night the girls have a Bible study together so they included me as an honorary member just for this week. It was really good, we went to Karis’s apartment and ordered pizza (surprisingly good) and went through Hebrews 11-13. A few chapters that spoke really well to each of us, talking mostly about faith. What I took away the most was Hebrews 13:5 where it says to be content with what you have. I just see myself always wanting more with material possessions or wanting to be somewhere else in life and God’s saying just to be content, He’s always there and always will be so don’t worry! I don’t know I just really reflected on that verse.
Today after running around town and going to various meetings, Ilea and I went to the girls home that Restore has been involved with. It is a home for former prostitutes and street girls. The girls were awesome and so full of joy. They showed me their house and then we just sat around talking. I was “Uncle John” because pretty much anyone here older than you is your uncle or aunt. They call Ilea mommy though, because she has been such a huge part of their lives and is much more than an aunt to them. It was really cool to meet them and I know I’ll see them again. Tonight Julia came over and Ilea made another feast for us. We sat on the balcony (we have an amazing view) and watched the lightning in the distance. The storms here are unreal. Lightning will light up the sky like 10 times a minute, no exaggeration. So it was a good night.
Personally, I haven’t slept a ton so far, so each morning I have a great devotion/prayer time and I’m trying to start journaling. But its been good, I’ve read a lot in the down time. I’m currently reading Humility by CJ Maheney and Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. I recommend both, especially Humility. Its a quick read and sooo convicting and helpful. Ok, time for bed.
Kampala
September 10th, 2007. Published under Life in Uganda. No Comments.
Well I am here safely! I got to Kampala Friday night around 9 and Becky picked me up at the airport. It was pitch black. We drove to Becky’s friend Julia’s place so she could say goodbye and so I could meet her. She’s my age from Georgia and is volunteering for International Justice Mission. Becky and I then went to Ilea’s apartment. Ilea is the Restore International girl here, basically my boss. The apartment is sooo nice. We walked to a restaurant about a mile away to get some food, but the place was out of bread! So we got something to drink then went looking for a grocery store to buy food. It was after 11 and nothing was open so we found a gas station then took a boda -a motorcycle taxi- back to the apartment. Bodas are definitely the easiest way to get around but they can be incredibly dangerous. There are no rules on the road and these guys whip in between cars and across lanes, its pretty scary. I know I have people praying for me back home after riding on bodas!
So Ilea was gone until Sunday and Becky left early Saturday morning so I was on my own! Becky left me her phone so I called Julia, the only person I knew in the country, and she basically became my tour guide. I took a boda to her place and then we walked to a mall that “mzungus” or white people hang to get food and buy groceries. On the way back it started raining… and when it rains here it is a torrential downpour for like an hour or more and then it stops and gets sunny. We were basically past halfway to her house so we kept going. I don’t think there was an inch of dry clothing on me after that walk. It was a good first experience of rain here though! Saturday night I met Julia and two others, Eric and Jessie, for dinner at an Indian food restaurant. Their parents are missionaries here and grew up here. Their dad’s organization, Cornerstone Development Uganda, is kind of what Restore is modeling our school after. After dinner we walked to a mzungu hang out, Bubbles O’leary, an Irish pub. It was pretty cool, just hanging out and getting to know them. Eric and Jessie went to school at RVA in Kenya with our friends the Kramers.
Sunday I went to church with Julia and her friend Karis, a lawyer who works for IJM. We had to take a matatu, a minivan taxi which packs as many people in it as possible. Definitely a cultural experience. We went to the Calvary Chapel in Uganda, such a cool church. The pastor is mzungu and really young, like maybe a few years older than me. It was neat though, we sang mostly the same worship songs we do in the states, with maybe a verse or two in Lugandan. We met a guy from Britain, Simon, and a guy from Ireland, Guy, at church and went to eat with them afterwards. They both worked for microfinance companies here. We met up with a lady Esther and her daughter Emma who Karis knew as well. So it was an interesting lunch, 7 people who mostly just met each other that day! But we were all brothers and sisters in Christ so it was a really good time. Esther lives right near Ilea so she gave everyone rides home. She took us by her house because she has a dog.. a black lab!! I hope to take it on a walk or two before I leave Kampala. Afterwards Julia and I went to a girls orphanage that Cornerstone has. She goes there every Sunday afternoon to hang out and play soccer with the girls. They usually go to a field and play against some boys that another Cornerstone worker brings. It is a huge deal to these girls, most of whom were teenagers, a couple who might have been 20. But it started pouring a little after we got there and we had to hang out inside. It was such a cool time though, they brought out two big drums to play and we just started singing worship songs. We sang for over an hour, it was really cool. Julia knew a few of the girls really well and got them to share their stories with us, how they got to the orphanage. It was incredible to hear what these girls have gone through and how strong their faith in God is through all they’ve experienced and lost. After a bit we braced the rain and took a matatu then a boda to get home.
Late Sunday night Ilea came home from Gulu so I met her finally. She had been with a couple from San Diego, Neil and Amy, that are thinking of moving here. Neil was a partner at a consulting/marketing firm and just sold his partnership about a month ago. He was kind of a big deal, haha. Their firm boasted the likes of Nike and Pepsi as clients. He was so cool though, he decided he’d rather start a company to help non-profits than have a company that makes the likes of Nike richer. So it’ll be exciting what he ends up doing in the future. Ilea gave us all the whole breakdown of how Restore runs and what we’re doing. He really analyzed it and had some really good advice for Ilea. I learned more in those few hours than I did in any of my business classes, I’m so glad I was a part of it. I also feel more prepared for the challenges that await me as we try to get this school built. That night we went to a Thai place for dinner with Tim and Kathy, the couple who run Cornerstone. They were a really cool couple and had a lot of good advice for Neil and Amy. After dinner we took them to the airport and here I am!
All in all this place is awesome. Kampala is big, like 2-3 million people. Its pretty overcrowded and driving pretty much scares everyone. Walking does too, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way and cars speed up when they see people walking! Despite the smog in the city, its really beautiful and green. SO green. It wasn’t what I expected though. In South Africa, the big cities were just like cities in the US, just a little more run down. Kampala is like a half-built US city. A good mix of paved/gravel/dirt roads. There are a lot more ghettos and slums here in the city than I expected. But for some reason it seems like a safe city. Maybe its just naivety but the other Americans I’ve talked to have said the same thing. Ok this is entirely too long. I’ll be heading to Gulu soon, a good 6 hour drive. I was going to leave tomorrow but I might not leave until the weekend or early next week. That will give Ilea and I a chance to get on the same page so I am fully prepared up there.